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Friday marks the 85th birthday of Nelson Mandela, whose own life is a mirror of the struggle and victory against apartheid in South Africa. Producer Roy Hurst shares his thoughts on Mandela's life and legacy -- read the 1964 speech Mandela gave before being sentenced to life in prison on Robben Island.

A U.S. soldier is shot and critically wounded in Baghdad, the latest in a wave of attacks by Iraqi gunmen opposed to the U.S.-British occupation. This week's attacks against British soldiers in southern Iraq raise fears that unrest may be spreading beyond Sunni Muslims -- who largely supported ousted leader Saddam Hussein -- to the country's Shia majority. Hear NPR's Kate Seelye.

American soldiers fire on former Iraqi soldiers protesting outside the U.S. military headquarters in Baghdad, killing two and wounding two others, the U.S. military reports. U.S. forces are seeking to suppress opposition in a central Iraqi region where Sunni Muslims -- once loyal to Saddam Hussein -- are blamed for coordinating a series of attacks on American troops. In the first of a three-part series on Iraq's diverse ethnic and religious groups, NPR's Deborah Amos reports the main flashpoint of these attacks is an area in central Iraq known as the Sunni triangle.

Iraqis in the holy city of Najaf denounce U.S. support for an interim Sunni Muslim mayor and call for immediate elections. Najaf is home to a shrine sacred to Shia Muslims, who make up a majority of the country's population. American administrators, who have delayed elections twice, say they need more time to organize a legal vote. Hear NPR's Nick Spicer.

The American military faces increased opposition in Iraq, including frequent attacks on U.S. convoys. Striking back, U.S. forces kill more than 60 people in a raid on what U.S. officials describe as a terrorist training camp near the Syrian border. Hear NPR's Scott Simon and NPR's Ivan Watson.

In the build-up to the war in Iraq, Ahmed Chalabi, exiled head of the Iraqi National Congress, was the darling of U.S. military planners, who flew him into southern Iraq as the war subsided. But now, U.S. occupation forces are keeping their distance from Chalabi and other former opposition leaders. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports.

Communities around the country pass resolutions criticizing the Patriot Act. Attorney General John Ashcroft has urged Congress to expand the anti-terror law to allow the government to hold more terrorism suspects indefinitely, but critics say the increased powers threaten civil rights. Hear NPR's Juan Williams.

The U.S. military signs a truce with an Iranian opposition group the State Department had previously labeled a terrorist organization. The Mujahedeen Khalq, some 10,000 armed fighters, operates just inside Iraq with the intent of overturning the religious government of neighboring Iran. NPR's Jennifer Ludden reports.

This month, Angola celebrated its first year of relative peace following 27 years of brutal civil war. The impact of that long-lasting conflict on Angola's children is documented in a new book, Free to Play in Peace. Published by the Christian Children's Fund, the book is a collection of drawings, poems and essays that express the children's memories of war and hopes for a future without it. See a gallery of the drawings online.

As U.S. forces seek an interim administration to run Iraq until elections can be held, the Iraqi National Congress -- a group that opposed Saddam from exile -- is likely to have major influence. Shia Muslims also expect to play a part. Hear from NPR's Jackie Northam, NPR's Melissa Block and Christian Science Monitor reporter Peter Ford.